TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

Eastern Washington University

History

Saul Bautista Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

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Saul Bautista selected as an Eastern Washington University McNair ScholarCongratulations to new McNair Scholar Saul Bautista! Saul was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school.

The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who are first-generation and low-income college students, and/or from groups underrepresented at the doctoral level to introduce them to academic research and provide them with effective strategies for getting into and graduating from PhD programs.

Saul is an EWU junior majoring in History, studying the historical socio-political climate of Latinoamerica’s diverse cultures. Under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Lenti, Saul’s summer research will examine the history of the multiple governments of Central America with a focus on the treatment of the indigenous people in the region by the Honduran government, where the educational system of Honduras actively attempts to undermine the presence of native Americans in the history of the country. He plans to go on to obtain a PhD in History.

We look forward to accompanying Saul as his research unfolds!

EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown Accepted to Multiple PhD Programs

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Madelyn Brown accepted to PhD programs at the University of Toronto and University of MinnesotaCongratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown! Madelyn has been accepted to two more PhD programs, including the University of Toronto, Canada’s leading postsecondary research institution, with a five-year funding package, and the University of Minnesota with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship Six-Year Support Package.

Madelyn has accepted the offer from the University of Minnesota, where she will be advised by Jean O’Brien, an American historian of White Earth Band of Ojibwe ancestry who specializes in northeastern Woodlands American Indian history, and David Chang, a Native Hawaiian historian of indigenous people, colonialism, borders and migration.

Madelyn is a scholar of Indigenous History. In EWU’s McNair program, she worked on her 2019 summer research project with Lecturer SimHayKin S. Jack, a Clinical Cultural Specialist at Colville Confederated Tribes and PhD Candidate at University of California, Davis and Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, now Assistant Professor and Director of the Latino, Latin American Studies Program at Central Washington University. Madelyn’s research focused on the the historic Eurocentric discrimination against [Indigenous] Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its benefits in forest and wildfire management, proposing that that these care techniques, specifically the acceptance of fire as a viable influence in forest health, should be taken into consideration when utilizing preventative measures against human-caused events. While a student at EWU, Madelyn was the recipient of the 2018 Gingolyx Village Government scholarship for academic excellence and a member of both the Native American Student Association and Phi Alpha Theta. Madelyn is currently completing her Masters in History at the University of Oregon.

The EWU McNair staff are delighted to hear about Madelyn’s ongoing achievements and we know she will make an impact in her field. Click here to read more about Madelyn and her research.

EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown Accepted to University of Georgia PhD Program

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Madelyn Brown accepted by the University of Georgia PhD Program in HistoryCongratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown! Madelyn has been accepted to the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences doctoral program in the Department of History. Madelyn was awarded full funding in the form of a Teaching Assistantship, with the University committed to renewing this award for a maximum of six years in the doctoral program. Recipients are selected through a competitive process, and assistantships are awarded only to the most qualified individuals.

Madelyn is a scholar of Indigenous History. In EWU’s McNair program, she worked on her 2019 summer research project with Lecturer SimHayKin S. Jack, a Clinical Cultural Specialist at Colville Confederated Tribes and PhD Candidate at University of California, Davis and Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, now Assistant Professor and Director of the Latino, Latin American Studies Program at Central Washington University. Madelyn’s research focused on the the historic Eurocentric discrimination against [Indigenous] Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its benefits in forest and wildfire management, proposing that that these care techniques, specifically the acceptance of fire as a viable influence in forest health, should be taken into consideration when utilizing preventative measures against human-caused events. While a student at EWU, Madelyn was the recipient of the 2018 Gingolyx Village Government scholarship for academic excellence and a member of both the Native American Student Association and Phi Alpha Theta. Madelyn is currently completing her Masters in History at the University of Oregon.

The EWU McNair staff are delighted to hear about Madelyn’s ongoing achievements and we know she will make an impact in her field. Click here to read more about Madelyn and her research.

EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown Accepted to University of Oregon PhD Program

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Madelyn Brown Accepted by The University of Oregon Doctoral Program in HistoryCongratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown! Madelyn has been accepted to the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences doctoral program in the Department of History. In this program, she would be advised by Marsha Weisiger, who serves as the Julie and Rocky Dixon Chair of U.S. Western History and the Co-Director, Center for Environmental Futures.

Madelyn was offered full funding for five years. Madelyn was also selected by the Division of Graduate Studies to become a 2022-23 Promising Scholar, a reflection of her accomplishments and the strength of her application. As a member of the Promising Scholars cohort, Madelyn would receive additional funding and have the opportunity to be involved in community building and professional development activities facilitated by the Division of Graduate Studies. This includes free access to the National Center on Faculty Development and Diversity’s workshops, mentoring network opportunities, and career center.

Madelyn is a scholar of Indigenous History. In EWU’s McNair program, she worked on her 2019 summer research project with Lecturer SimHayKin S. Jack, a Clinical Cultural Specialist at Colville Confederated Tribes and PhD Candidate at University of California, Davis and Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, now Assistant Professor and Director of the Latino, Latin American Studies Program at Central Washington University. Madelyn’s research focused on the the historic Eurocentric discrimination against [Indigenous] Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its benefits in forest and wildfire management, proposing that that these care techniques, specifically the acceptance of fire as a viable influence in forest health, should be taken into consideration when utilizing preventative measures against human-caused events. While a student at EWU, Madelyn was the recipient of the 2018 Gingolyx Village Government scholarship for academic excellence and a member of both the Native American Student Association and Phi Alpha Theta. Madelyn is currently completing her Masters in History at the University of Oregon.

The EWU McNair staff are delighted to hear about Madelyn’s ongoing achievements and we know she will make an impact in her field. Click here to read more about Madelyn and her research.

Congratulations to Eastern McNair alum, Dr. Frank King, promoted to Associate Professor in Ethnic Studies at UW-Platteville, and also appointed to Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Chief Diversity Office

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Dr. Frank King graduated from Eastern with a BA in Secondary Social Studies Education/History, and earned his PhD from Washington State University in American Studies. As an EWU McNair scholar, he conducted his McNair research internship with faculty mentor, Dr. Scott Finnie, completing a paper titled "The Battle of Adowa and Its Connection to Pan-Afrocentricity." At WSU, he continued to explore Afrocentrism, with doctoral research focused on how Afrocentric concepts within Hip Hop culture can be used to engage, empower and liberate.

 

Click here to read his dissertation abstract: Campaign For Edutainment: Afrocentric Philosophy and Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Method For True Liberation

 

As Associate Professor and the Program Coordinator for Ethnic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, he teaches intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. With areas of specialization in Hip Hop Pedagogy, The Prison Industrial Complex, Afrocentric Philosophy, and African American History, he is currently working on several projects that look at the political economy of Hip Hop, Hip Hop as pedagogy, and Juvenile rehabilitation.

 

In addition to his faculty work, in his new appointment as Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as the Special Assistant to the Chief Diversity Office, Dr. King assists in building and developing support, community, and resources for faculty, staff and students to help in UW-Platteville’s call to action to ensure all students have substantial knowledge of issues revolving around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 

As he works to develop programs to help increase cultural awareness on campus, he credits the EWU McNair program for giving him the support he needed to get him started on the path to where he is today. "Infinite gratitude," he says about McNair. And we say in return: "Infinite gratitude to you too Dr. Frank King!" We need academics like you, who continue to apply their research, teaching and talents to working towards a more just and equitable world!

 

Thank you!!!

 

EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown Awarded Dean Jeffers W. Chertok Honored Student Award

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Photo of Madelyn Brown next to congratulations for her award and a logo for the EWU College of Social Sciences, surrounded by border of rainbow glitter

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Madelyn Brown! Madelyn has been selected to receive the Dean Jeffers W. Chertok Honored Student Award for the College of Social Sciences, History. This award is presented to exceptional students who have shown a commitment to their education by demonstrating outstanding academic achievement with a minimum of a 3.75 GPA in their previous four quarters and through leadership and service to the community. Madelyn is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the Native American Student Association at EWU. She also created an exhibit for the Joel E. Ferris Research Archives at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane. In high school Madelyn volunteered at her local library as a  member of their Teen Advisory Board, participated in clothing and food drives, and volunteered with Northwest Harvest and the Seattle Homeless Coalition.

Beyond her exceptional community involvement, Madelyn is an amazing scholar. She is a senior at EWU pursuing a major in History with an emphasis on American Indian Studies. In 2018 Madelyn was awarded the Gingolyx Village Government scholarship for academic excellence. As a McNair Scholar, Madelyn has committed to attaining her Ph.D. To prepare for this, she completed a summer research internship at EWU under the mentorship of Dr. Christina Torres García and PhD candidate SimHayKin S. Jack, an alumni of the EWU McNair Scholars Program. Madelyn's research focuses on Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and it's historical influence on ecological care techniques utilized by Northwest tribal communities. She has published two articles in the Spokane Historical, a web and mobile platform for telling stories of Spokane and Eastern Washington and a project of the Public History program at Eastern Washington University. To read more about Madelyn and her research check out her webpage on the McNair site.

 

Madelyn has been accepted into 7 Masters programs: the MA program in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies at Trent University, the Masters of History program at George Mason University, the American Indian Studies Masters program at Arizona State University, the Masters of History program at Western University in Canada, the Masters of History program at Washington State University, the Masters of History program at the University of Oregon, and the Masters of History program at Claremont Graduate University! She was offer funding at 4 of these universities, and full funding in most cases. Madelyn plans to attend the University of Oregon in the fall of 2020.

 

In response to receiving this award, Madelyn said, "I would like to thank the History department and the EWU McNair Scholars program for their encouragement, particularly Dr. Ann Le Bar, Dr. Christina Torres García, Dr. Nydia Martinez, and Dr. Bill Youngs." McNair is so proud of Madelyn and all of her hard work. We know she will have a continued powerful impact on academia and in her communities as she pursues a graduate education and beyond!